National Junior Honors Society

THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY AT PLANK JR. HIGH

THE PURPOSE OF NJHS

The National Junior Honor (NJHS) Society was established in 1929. The hope was to create an organization that would recognize and encourage academic achievement while developing other characteristics essential to citizens in a democracy. These ideas of scholarship, character, service, and leadership remain as relevant today as they were in 1929.

This society provides an opportunity for students to grow through exceptional academic achievement, serve others in and outside our community, develop leadership skills, interact with other people in a caring and respectful way, and in general, become individuals with exemplary character.

Plank Junior High was granted its school charter in 2013. This chapter is for 8th graders only (the induction process begins in second semester of 7th grade).

To be inducted in the NJHS, one must be exemplary in each of the five following areas:

Scholarship: maintaining a minimum of a cumulative 3.75 GPA.
Character: possessing a strong moral and ethical character
Service: participating in school and/or community events and organizations
Leadership: taking on active leadership roles within community and school activities and organizations
Citizenship: living up to laws and guidelines to improve the larger community

NJHS applications are available to eligible students in February. All students with a 3.75 GPA or above will receive an invitation to apply.

The induction ceremony is usually held mid-May. Membership is both an honor and a privilege.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

There are several intrinsic reasons a student may desire membership in the National Junior Honor Society. Membership in the NJHS is the high honor and is a prestigious public recognition of outstanding student achievement. Employers, government officials, and college officials recognize members of the National Junior Honor Society as students who possess many of the qualities and characteristics that are indicators of future success.

MEMBERSHIP DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is both an honor and a responsibility. Students selected for membership are expected to continue to demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. Once inducted, members are expected t

Attend regular Plank Junior High School NJHS chapter meetings which will be held approximately 1-3 times per month.
Maintain a GPA of 3.75 or above.
Pay membership dues of $20.00 per year
Complete 20 hours of individual community service during their 8th grade year.
Participate in one major group service project. The project will be determined by the executive board officers each year.
Respect and obey the rules of Plank Junior High School, the laws of our community, state and country.
Respect the rights and beliefs of others and treat others with courtesy and consideration.
Be fully responsible for their actions and the consequences of their actions.
Show respect to those who are responsible for enforcing the rules of my school and the laws of my community, state and country.

Monitoring Standards

NJHS members who fall below the required grade point average or who do not complete required community service will be notified in the form of a letter and will be placed on a probationary status. A National Junior Honor Society member can remain on probationary status for up to two semesters. Members who break either the Plank Junior High School rules or the law will be subject to the discipline procedures outlined elsewhere in this document. If a member has been dismissed, they cannot rejoin NJHS. See Discipline Procedures.

SELECTION PROCESS

Plank Junior High recognizes and honors students for outstanding achievement. The highest recognition bestowed is through membership in the Plank Junior High School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. This recognition is achieved through a selection process based upon exemplary scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

The membership selection process for the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is as follows:

Student must be a current 7th grader during the application process.
Student must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher as a second semester, 7th grader to be eligible for the National Junior Honor Society.
Selection is based on five criteria: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character and Citizenship.
To be considered for selection, a student who is eligible scholastically must submit an application by the announced deadline.
To be invited to be a member of the National Junior Honor Society, a student must receive a majority vote of the five-member Faculty Council. A principal and the NJHS Advisor are exofficio members of this selection committee but the principal does have final approval of all accepted new members.

Selection Steps

In February of each year, a list of academically eligible students is prepared.
All students who are eligible will receive an invitation to apply. Students who choose to apply, will return the completed form by the announced deadline.
All Staff members in the school will have an opportunity to evaluate applicants on their character, leadership and citizenship.
Faculty Council will meet to review information materials and determine final NJHS student selections.
Following the Faculty Council selection meeting, students will be informed of their status within one week. Selected students will be called to a meeting to outline the process for induction in the National Junior Honor Society.
New NJHS members and their parent(s)/guardian(s) will be invited to a recognition function which will include student participation in a formal induction.

Selection Policy

Candidate's selection shall be determined by their application, staff evaluations and the school record for all candidates. The following may deter from a student being accepted into NJHS.

Suspension from school
Suspension from an extracurricular activity
Documented incident of cheating
Truancy and/or unexcused absences
Drug and/or alcohol incidents
Referral and /or Saturday School
Excessive tardiness

Application Points

Applications will be evaluated on the following point system. For each section of the application, points shall be awarded according to the following scale:
   1-4 activities = 1 service point
   5-8 activities = 2 service points
   9 + activities = 3 service points

ROLES OF OFFICERS, ADVISER AND FACULTY COUNCIL

Officers

The following officer positions shall be filled annually through democratic election procedures: president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, historian and service chairperson.

Adviser

The Chapter Adviser shall be a member of the faculty of the school where the chapter is located. The Chapter Adviser should be a faculty member who has faith in the abilities of young people and who is willing to spend time with them to develop their potential. The Adviser shall promote chapter activities, stimulate positive actions by members, and provide information on local and national policies regulating chapter activities.

The Adviser is an ex-officio, non-voting sixth member of the Faculty Council. Neither principals nor assistant principals may serve as Chapter Advisers. Therefore, the Adviser takes on the responsibility of representing the administrative offices of the school. In this role, the Adviser serves in two capacities: the supervisor who ensures that proper procedures are being followed, and as the advocate who protects the interests of the student(s).

Faculty Council

The Adviser works with the Faculty Council in selecting, disciplining, or dismissing members. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members, appointed annually. The Adviser and the Faculty Council cooperate in developing and periodically reviewing all local selection and dismissal procedures and guidelines.

It is important that all members of the Faculty Council recognize that they are working on behalf of the faculty of the school. All judgments reached by members of the Faculty Council should, therefore, be both sound and professional in nature. It is vital that Faculty Council members be fully knowledgeable of the guidelines for their chapter, and that they carefully follow all stated guidelines and procedures in all aspects of the chapter's activity.

DISCIPLINE AND RESIGNATION

Discipline Policy

When a member falls below the standards by which the member was selected, the adviser shall inform the errant member in writing of the nature of the violation, the time period given for improvement, and provide warning of the possible consequences of non-improvement. It is often helpful to both the student and the adviser to follow the letter with a conference. If the student does not make the improvement in the specified time, that student is subject to whatever disciplinary measures are considered appropriate by the adviser or the Faculty Council.

Disciplinary measures other than dismissal are acceptable for minor offenses. For example, the adviser may suspend certain chapter privileges of request that the student receive special counseling. The goal of disciplinary measures should be to reeducate the student to more appropriate behavior. If the discipline is constructive, there is a greater likelihood that the student will improve in the particular area in which there is a deficiency.

Dismissal

A member is never automatically dismissed for failing to maintain standards. A written notification and pre-dismissal hearing is called for and must be conducted by the Faculty Council to dismiss a member.

Members should understand fully that they are subject to dismissal if they do not maintain the standards of scholarship, leadership, service, character and/or citizenship. They should also be aware that they are allowed limited warnings during their membership, but that in the case of a flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws whether during school or outside of school time, a warning is not required for dismissal but a hearing will still be conducted.

If the Faculty Council decides that dismissal may be warranted, the member is allowed to present his or her case at a pre-dismissal hearing before the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council should investigate thoroughly before any action is taken. If the council determines that the facts warrant consideration of dismissal, the member should be notified in writing of the violation, the possibility of dismissal, and the need for scheduling a hearing with the Faculty Council. A hearing should then be scheduled. The member should be allowed to appear before the Faculty Council and explain the situation. A parent/guardian may be present with the member, however it should be noted that the primary focus of the hearing is to allow the member to present his or her case.

Post Dismissal

If a member is dismissed, written notice of the decision should be sent to the member, his or her parents, and the principal. The member must then surrender the NJHS emblem and membership card to the chapter adviser. If the member is unwilling to do this, the matter should be treated as a school disciplinary matter.

Appeals for Dismissal Cases

The dismissed member may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council, under the local school district's policies governing disciplinary appeals in the school district, following the normal channels for an appeals process.

Resignation

Those students who resign from the National Junior Honor Society will never again be eligible for membership or its benefits. Resignation from the honor society should involve the submission of a written statement by the resigning member that is dated and signed by both the student and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s). Verbal resignations are insufficient to end membership. Students contemplating resignation should be aware of the consequences of their resignation as stated at the beginning of this section.

Students cannot be "forced" to resign for this situation would be interpreted as a dismissal order for which the process, as outlined above, must be followed.